‘Halve Waste - reduce, reuse, recycle’ is a public awareness and education campaign developed to engage the whole community in efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling in the region.
For more information on how you can reduce, reuse, recycle and dispose of your waste in Greater Hume visit the Halve Waste website www.halvewaste.com.au (then click on Greater Hume Council logo on front page).
Like the Halve Waste Facebook Page
Holbrook Landcare a Greater Hume Council have partnered together to provide landholders and community members an opportunity to recycle their silage wrap and twine.
Skip bins have been placed at the Holbrook, Mullengandra, Burrumbuttock and Culcairn landfill sites. The skip bins will be specially signed with what can and cant be recycled, and how farm plastic is to be packaged for recycling: silage wrap and twine must be packed in plastic disposable liners provided by Holbrook Landcare.
Silage wrap and twine must be submitted in separate bags, not mixed together!
1. What plastic can I recycle?
Currently we can provide a recycling service for silage wrap, bunker bags, grain socks and twine. Silage netting cannot be recycled - please do not put netting in the plastic liners provided by this program.
2. Where can I dispose of my full plastic disposal liners?
The designated project drop-off points are Holbrook, Culcairn, Mullengandra and Burrumbuttock landfill sites. Look for the marked drop-off bins.
3. Do I have to use plastic liners as supplied by Holbrook Landcare Network?
Yes. Only these liners will be accepted. Currently we can only get the RED twine liners - these can be used for silage wrap, but different plastic types must be separated - its one product for one bag, twine & silage wrap cannot be mixed together in the same plastic liner bag.
4. Why can’t I mix farm plastics together for recycling?
There are many different types of plastics. Silage wrap and silage covers are made from Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), whilst bailing twine and feed bags are made out of polypropylene. Each plastic has different properties and melt temperatures, meaning in most cases they cannot be mixed together. Therefore, it is important to separate plastics into different plastic liners at the farm.
5. Does the waste plastic have to be clean?
No. Just shake free any debris or excess moisture before placing in the disposal liner.
6. Why can’t I just burn, bury or store my waste agricultural plastics?
Burning silage wrap releases harmful greenhouse gasses and pollutants into the environment. Whilst storing or burying plastics can pollute groundwater, rivers and streams or can be a choking hazard to wildlife and stock.
7. What do the waste plastics get turned into?
Waste plastics are turned into a range of durable replacement products including resin, garden edging and electrical cable cover.
8. How long will this project be running for?
The program will finish in April 2020. We are looking for external partnerships which could support this project well into the future.
9. Where can I collect more plastic disposal liners?
You can collect plastic disposal liners from the Holbrook Landcare office, Greater Hume Council Culcairn Office or Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre Burrumbuttock. The tip sites will also have liners on hand.
For further information please ring the Holbrook Landcare office on T: 02 6036 3181.
Recycle Mate is a mobile phone app and supporting education program that is working to help remove the confusion around what can and can not be recycled and where.
Recycle Mate has comprehensively catalogued each council’s recycling system and non-kerbside disposal options, to provide quick access to localised information to help people recycle wherever they are in Australia.
Recycle Mate will give users the ability to photograph an item or do a word search of an extensive item catalogue to find out where to recycle or dispose of that item either in their local council bin system or elsewhere.
Getting involved is quick and easy:
- Download Recycle Mate - available on the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Androids.
- Click on 'Recycle Soldier'.
- Hit "Let's go'.
- Enter the name of the item you will be taking photos of.
- Position the item in the centre of the frame and take a photo or multiple photos from different angles.
- Hit 'Submit Photos' - over 100 images can be uploaded in one easy upload.
For more information on Recycle Mate go to recyclemate.com.au.